The Pac-12, with its ever-strengthening reputation as the preeminent passing league in college football, has seen seven different receivers reach the 1,000-yard mark over the past two seasons.

UCLA, with one of the conference’s best quarterbacks in Brett Hundley under center for both of those seasons, hasn’t had a single one of them.

Such is life as a receiver in Westwood, where offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone has fostered an offense in which no single target becomes the focal point of the Bruins’ passing game. It’s a scheme that has earned some ire in the past — people really hate screen passes! — and after watching it for two seasons, there’s certainly some reason to question why Hundley and Co. haven’t yet been able to take the next step as an elite offense.

There’s also reason to believe that that evolution could happen this season, with Hundley a legitimate Heisman contender and Mazzone open to the idea of airing things out a bit more. But the true variable here isn’t with UCLA’s quarterback or its offensive coordinator. It’s at wide receiver, where, despite losing lead receiver Shaq Evans to the NFL, the Bruins’ receiving corps seems on track to be as strong as its been in the past decade.

The unit doesn’t exactly have the numbers to back up this claim — none of UCLA’s returning wideouts have finished a season with more than 500 receiving yards or four touchdowns. But the talent is unabashedly there, and it shouldn’t take long for the offense to reflect that improvement.

Devin Lucien, the natural heir to his friend Evans’ lead receiver title, seemed to flip a switch during the spring, and it’s his development that could really change the dynamic of UCLA’s passing game. Routinely over the past two years, the enigmatic Lucien has impressed during practice, only to disappear on Saturdays. But this April seemed to give way to a new, more mature Lucien — one that quietly dominated rep after rep. He’ll get a chance to prove himself this fall, and might be the best hope UCLA has at having a 1,000-yard receiver.

Of course, that benchmark isn’t everything. The ball will undoubtedly be spread around.

Slot receiver Devin Fuller, everyone’s breakout choice last season, should get more opportunities to prove that he can get the ball in open space and make something happen. He struggled with back issues during part of spring ball, but he has the agility and the game-breaking quickness to still make the huge difference he seemed destined for in 2013.

Jordan Payton will start, but could very well be pushed by redshirt freshman Eldridge Massington, who’s rapidly growing rapport with Hundley might vault him into the picture early on this season. The ceiling for his over-the-top ability and speed — he once ran a 10.5 100-meter dash — could add yet another element that UCLA didn’t have the past two seasons.

But the biggest and most important new wrinkle in UCLA’s offense should come from the rapidly increasing role of Y receiver Thomas Duarte, who proved during the spring that he has the best hands and range on the team. No player looked more consistently impressive this spring, and in pressure situations, Hundley consistently leaned on the sophomore. In the seam, he could be a devastating weapon, or, at the very least, a reliable safety valve for a quarterback who is accustomed to improvising.

The pieces, as unproven as they are, are as talented as they’ve ever been in a Noel Mazzone offense. After three years, this year’s deep group of receivers should offer enough different options to finally make Mazzone’s share-the-wealth passing game work to its full potential. This is the set of personnel his offense has been begging for.

There may not be a clear-cut top receiver breaking records in Westwood next season. But a gamut of receivers with top-flight potential could be enough to propel UCLA’s passing game to new unforeseen heights.

Duarte. No player had more consistent hands this spring than Duarte, and in the seam, he has the chance to become a serious difference-maker. His size and ability to catch the ball in tight windows is ideal for the red zone and could make him a valuable threat for Hundley, who has already given his young target rave reviews.

THREE BURNING QUESTIONS

1. Who will replace Shaq Evans as Brett Hundley’s favorite target? Tough to say, with Hundley still getting comfortable and multiple talented options now at his disposal. Devin Lucien looked impressive as ever during practice, and if he can continue to mature and translate his highlight-reel practice plays to Saturdays, then he could step up as top dog. Duarte will be a valuable safety valve and perhaps the best red zone threat on the team, while Devin Fuller is still speedy in the slot, and redshirt freshman Eldridge Massington — who is one of Hundley’s best friends — remains the intriguing dark horse of the equation.

2. Will Devin Fuller finally break out like we’ve all been predicting for the past year? Fuller didn’t disappoint last season, but he didn’t exactly have the standout year that we in the media had widely predicted. He dealt with some back issues in the spring that led to him intermittently sitting out, so we didn’t get much of an April sample size on where Fuller stands in UCLA’s offense. But the talent is there for him to be the best wideout on the field this fall. It should be just a matter of time before he really finds his stride.

3. Might this year’s offense look down field more often? The early word is yes. Offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone has joked on more than one occasion about how much fans hate the short, quick passes that are so crucial to his up-tempo offense. But in April, he admitted that Brett Hundley may have the freedom to look down field more often during this upcoming season. UCLA certainly has the talent under center and speed on the outside to stretch the field against almost anyone. Until fall, though, it’s hard to tell if Mazzone’s offense will actually put those skills to full use.

BOLD PREDICTION

Thomas Duarte leads the team in receiving touchdowns with at least six scores, on his way to an All-Pac-12 team nomination. A bonus prediction: Devin Lucien will lead the team in receiving yards at just a hair over 750.

PRE-FALL GRADE:

A-. This is as deep and talented of a group as UCLA has at any position this season, with plenty of high-potential prospects ready to step into major roles. With Hundley getting them the ball, this group of wideouts has the chance to be one of the best Westwood has seen in quite some time. Duarte is a potential star. Lucien looks like he’s finally figuring it out off the field. And with three freshmen wideouts coming in, the depth should be plentiful. The only pockmark is the lack of an established No. 1 wideout. But that shouldn’t be of much concern, with so many talented mouths to feed.

Ryan Kartje is a sports features reporter, with a special focus on the NFL and college sports. He has worked for the Orange County Register since 2012, when he was hired as UCLA beat writer. His enterprise work on the rise and fall of the daily fantasy sports industry (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/industry-689093-fantasy-daily.html) was honored in 2015 with an Associated Press Sports Editors’ enterprise award in the highest circulation category. His writing has also been honored by the Football Writers Association of America and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ryan worked for the Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times and Fox Sports Wisconsin, before moving out west to live by the beach and eat copious amounts of burritos.

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